James E. Wilson
James founded South Carolina's first fee-only financial planning firm in 1982 and is a pioneer in the financial planning field. He has advised hundreds of successful individuals on the entire breadth of planning issues, particularly on the proper understanding of risk and return for individuals nearing or already in retirement. James is past President of the National Association of Financial Advisors (NAPFA) , the primary professional association for fee-only financial advisors. He also served four years on the Board of Governors of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, the credentialing body for the CFP(r) professional designation. James was selected as one of the Top 60 Financial Advisors in the United States by Worth magazine in 1994 and again in 1996,1997 and 1998 (Top 200). He was also named by Medical Economics as one of the Top Financial Advisors for Doctors in 1998,2000,2002,2004,2006 and 2008. James received his undergraduate education in economics at U.S.C. and is a Certified Financial Planner(tm) certificant. Learn more here .
Articles by James E. Wilson
- Retirement & Income Planning
Financial Freedom Starts With More Choices
During your working life, having choices is nice to have, but in retirement, having the ability to choose is a must-have.
- Money & Life
The Fear-and-Greed Trap That Destroys Investor Returns
There are a host of other human emotions that can play an equally important role in how you save and invest.
- Money & Life
Impatience Is Costing Investors More Than Market Volatility Ever Will
Either way, achieving some element of patience in your financial life is a process that requires discipline and focus.
- Money & Life
Hot Trends Fade. A Strong Financial Philosophy Doesn’t.
The best way I know to bolster the resiliency in your financial immune system is by having a cohesive financial planning philosophy.
- Money & Life
Money Decisions That Feel Right Today Can Undermine Your Future
The messiness of money and the entirety of emotional issues associated with money often place what you want in direct conflict with what you need.
- Money & Life
Your Brain Isn’t Recalling Financial History—It’s Reconstructing It
If prejudice is too strong a word for you, try nostalgia instead. You might want things to be like they were in the past, but history won’t permit it
- Money & Life
Blending Art and Science for Financial Planning That Evolves With You
Balancing foundational principles of planning with what’s right for your situation is what can make the planning process transformational.
- Money & Life
How Aging Changes Risk Perception in Investing
As you age, your ability to learn from experience and adjust your beliefs accordingly becomes more difficult.
- Money & Life
Lessons From Last Year That Can Change How You Invest
Way to start this process is by looking back at what happened during the past year so that you can gain some perspective on how to look at the year ahead.
- Money & Life
Rebalancing Isn’t About Timing the Market—It’s About Beating Human Nature
The start of each new year provides a good opportunity to realign your personal finances with your most important goals.
- Money & Life
Not Every Investment Idea Is Bad—It Might Just Be Bad for You
Avoiding the really big mistakes is key to making progress toward your long-term financial aspirations.
- Money & Life
Why Your Investing Time Horizon Matters More Than Market Headlines
Your investing time horizon is a financial planning deliverable and helps determine where you should be in terms of overall investment risk.
- Money & Life
Get the Order Right: The Surprising Power of Sequenced Financial Planning
One of the underlying reasons that many investors need financial planning in the first place can often be traced back to taking action steps out of order.
- Money & Life
Financial Well-Being Isn’t Luck—It’s a Mindset. Here’s How To Build It.
What you think about informs where you’re heading; what you actually do determines what you accomplish.
- Money & Life
How To Stay Calm When Uncertainty Hits Your Investments
Uncertainty is uncomfortable and as an investor it helps to be introspective about how much uncertainty you can actually put up with.
- Money & Life
You Can’t See What You’re Missing: Why Retirees Need a Financial Second Opinion
Poor financial decisions and money mistakes are all too common throughout life, but as you age these mistakes are harder to recover from.
- Money & Life
You Can’t Predict the Future—but You Can Prepare for It
Room for error allows you to focus on an array of possibilities instead of only one outcome.
- Money & Life
How To Build Wealth When Everyone Else Is Panicking
If your overall long-term goals change, then you can revise your financial plan, but reacting because of current events can slow your progress.
- Retirement & Income Planning
Planning for the Unknowable: How To Protect Your Retirement Lifestyle Against Inflation and Surprises
You don’t know how long you’ll live, but it’s a good idea to assume you could live longer than you might think.
- Money & Life
Stop Overthinking Investing: 4 Simple Rules for Smarter Decisions
How can you dismantle this information overload in order to make better investment decisions?
- Money & Life
Outsmarting Fear: The Real Secret to Long-Term Investing Success
You aren’t as well equipped, however, for distinguishing between real perils and those that are just imagined.
- Money & Life
The High Cost of Doing Nothing: How Inertia Derails Financial Plans
Oftentimes, inertia prevails. Inertia is a law of physics, but it’s also a strong emotional force that can derail even your best-laid plans.
- Money & Life
Are You Playing It Too Safe? The Hidden Risk of Under-Investing
You can’t save your way to sustainable long-term wealth you also have to invest. When you invest, you’re always taking some risk. #risk #invest
- Money & Life
Are Your Financial Goals Too Murky to Succeed?
Unless you have specific and crystal clear goals, you’ll just bounce around like a jellyfish in the ocean. #goals #finance
- Money & Life
Rewire Your Reactions: A Smarter Way To Navigate Gut Decisions
Fight or flight mechanism. You can’t realistically change this, but you can manage how you respond to stress about the markets. #investor
- Money & Life
Risk or Regret? How Smart Decisions Shape Your Financial Future
The key is to make decisions with the information available at that time and not dwell on what could have been if your decision had been different. #invest
- Money & Life
Are You Financially Fit—Or Just Getting By?
Health and wealth are closely related. If you focus mostly on one, the other will suffer. Your overall well being requires a balance between the two.
- Money & Life
One Big Win or Long-Term Success? The Choice That Defines Your Future
If you’re focused on the short-term and achieving one goal at a time, that’s not necessarily repeatable or sustainable. #finance #future
- Money & Life
The Seduction of Financial Forecasts: Why We Trust Them—Even When They're Wrong
Within the realm of investing, forecasters opine about when you should be invested in the markets, and when you should be on the sidelines.
- Money & Life
Why Your Financial Plan Needs More Than Just the Numbers
Financial metrics and numbers can be helpful in your financial planning efforts, but they don’t provide enough information for making good decisions.
- Money & Life
Plan or React? The Hidden Psychology Behind Your Money Moves
You are either consciously acting on your financial plan, or you are reacting to the current environment. #action #reaction
- Money & Life
Are You Attracted to “Do Something” When “Doing Nothing” Is Best?
Advisors sometimes think it’s better to respond to client concerns by doing something, when the best advice might be to do nothing. #investor
- Money & Life
The Investor’s Edge: Why Mindset Matters More Than Market Moves
Your mindset has more of an impact on your financial success than the tiny minutia of investments. #investor
- Money & Life
Expect the Unexpected: How Surprises Fuel Market Returns
Surprises present you with two distinct choices: one, you can react; or two, you can plan accordingly. Expect surprises each and every year #2025
- Money & Life
The Price of Long-Term Returns: Accepting Market Declines
You don’t achieve the above-inflation returns without accepting the price of routine price declines. You can’t have the good, without the bad.
- Money & Life
Beyond Returns: The Questions That Truly Shape Your Financial Plan
When in doubt, remember the right questions to ask your financial advisor. Everything else is just noise. Start there. #investing